APC signs first multicultural publisher as member of Press Council

An online publisher serving Australia’s Filipino community has joined the Australian Press Council to be the first multicultural publisher to sign on since the industry regulatory body began targeting the multicultural press at the end of last year.

Schwartz Media, which publishes weekly newspaper The Saturday Paper and The Monthly magazine, also joined the APC alongside The Bushland Shire Telegraph Pty, publisher of a weekly community newspaper circulating in the Hawkesbury area of NSW, and Emanila Pty Lts, a group of online-only publications serving Australia’s Filipino community.

To date no Chinese community newspaper has signed on as a member, with Emanila the first multicultural publisher to join the APC.

Romeo Cayabyab, publisher of the Emanila websites, said the Press Council should be applauded for seeking out new members among the multicultural press.

“I see this as a clear indication that the Press Council recognises the importance of the multicultural press in Australia and the need for these publications to strive for high standards and independence, just like any other member of the Council.”

APC chairman, Professor David Weisbrot.

Professor Weisbrot said via statement: “I’m delighted with the diversity of this latest group of new members. One is a well-known and highly-respected publisher of long-form journalism, another is a small paper that has been a very important part of its community for 30 years, and we are especially pleased to be able to embrace one of Australia’s increasingly-important multicultural publications.

“What unites these three publications and all of the Press Council’s member publications, is a genuine commitment to excellence and social responsibility.”

Miranda Ward is the publishing and PR editor at Mumbrella. She edits the weekly PR newsletter CommsCon and the weekly publishing newsletter Publish.
Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.

David Weisbrot bowed to the Murdoch editors and has made the toothless tiger even less effective as a press regulator. The fact that the editors were upset about Julian Disney proved the council’s watchdog role was actually being upheld under Disney’s reign. These new members should rest easy.